Word from the Library … Explorers Club kicks off

Posted on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 at 7:07 am

JILLIAN RAEL

library director

Our Ancestry subscription is up and running in the Genealogy Room! New computers provide access to this and other wonderful FREE services for our patrons. We are also order some new furniture for the new equipment. I would like to arrange to have volunteers in the Genealogy Room for at least a few hours each and every day. If you are interested in helping the Library in this way, please call or stop by to see me.

We would love to have people on hand every day to help with not only those that come by the Library but also those that call and email from all over the country seeking assistance in finding their family history.

Our new Explorers Club is beginning this Wednesday! This is essentially a story time intended for school-aged children with more challenging reads and hands-on activities. We will explore art, music, dance, nature and pretty much anything that interests young minds. The Explorers Club will meet each Wednesday at 4 p.m. Our regular story time aimed at preschoolers will continue as usual on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. All children are welcome at the Explorers Club, but parents and caregivers should know that the activities may pose a challenge to very young children.

Plans are still in the works to begin a Toddler story time as well. This idea is near and dear to my heart as the mother of an 18-month-old who is finally willing to actually take part in nightly story time. These stories and activities will be simple but very interactive as we explore classics like Brown Bear Brown Bear and great characters like Skippyjon Jones. A formal schedule of activities and dates will be coming soon!

Another round of ordering is under way as our state and federal allocated funds are available. This round has included a large array of audiobooks and DVDS, some new adult fiction and nonfiction and new children’s books. Please remember that we do our best to stay as up-to-date with new releases as possible, but we have to balance our available funds with our abilities to process new materials with a very small staff. If you have requested books that are not here yet, don’t give up! I will get them in as soon as I am able. Much of our funding has restrictions, meaning that some funds must be used for kids’ books or large print.

We will have computer classes here at the Library this week. April 1 will be an introduction to blogging and webpage development from 6-8 p.m. April 3 at 11 a.m. will be Basic Computer Skills. Please remember that these are beginner classes. April 12 is our American Girl Tea Party, sign up soon! April 19 at 6 p.m. we will host a junior music concert with local young people showing off their skills. These events are free and open to everyone.

Finally, we and the Teen Advisory Board would like to say a big thank you to District Attorney Robert Carter and local attorney Jonathan Brown for coming out and speaking to us about their chosen professions and their college experiences. It’s local partners such as these that make what we do successful!

Weekly Poll

(Sponsored by Bank of Lincoln County) Do you think Tennessee should work to establish sports gambling after the recent Supreme Court ruling favoring sports betting?